When Katie Sorenson steps back into the classroom next week she will be loaded with new exploits about lifting heavy things.

The foods teacher at Spruce Grove Composite High School was one of seven women trying their hand at Spruce Grove’s Strongest at the Tri-Leisure Centre on Saturday afternoon.

Though she missed the podium, this competition was more about pushing herself in a new competition as she gears up for the powerlifting season with her sights set on nationals in March. The strongman event called on a whole new set of muscles.

“This is whole body strength, you’re using everything you’ve got in every event,” said Sorenson, 35.

Nutrition plays a key role for her in the classroom and the gym, though her goal is to arm students with “an arsenal of recipes” for when they move out on their own. Still she is able to get the attention of some of the high school boys when she tells them about how much he can dead lift. Now she can tell them about pulling a massive truck the length of the TLC parking lot.

“It helps me build relationships, and that I think is the most important part of my job is connecting with kids,” said the Stony Plain resident and mother of two young boys.

Spruce Grove’s Strongest brought in some of the biggest and strongest women and men from across Alberta. Some of them were powerlifters like Sorenson and men’s lightweight champion David Nisbet of Edmonton. Others were experienced competitors like Peace River’s Jay Smith, 32, who was Alberta’s Strongest Man in 2012, finished third at Westerns and then was tenth at nationals that year.

Smith tore his quadriceps tendon two years trying to dunk a basketball and has been working his way back since then. He actually was not planning on competing again until next year but could not resist the pull of seeing where he stood against the next wave of strongmen.

Regardless of his placing, this event will give him motivation for the days when he does not want to get out of bed and train before going to work as a correctional police officer at the Peace River Correctional Centre.

“When you come to this and you get the crowd, it makes all of that worth it,” he said. “When you get to the point where you don’t think you can get another rep and you hear people screaming for you to get another rep and you get two more, that’s addictive, plain and simple. That’s where I get the motivation from.”

This was the fifth year for the competition in Spruce Grove and co-producer Derek Galliford was impressed by the turnout and the support they continue to get from the TLC and their local sponsors. This event is about reaching the local community and making the growing sport accessible to local athletes and fans.

They had some athletes competing in their first strongman competition while others were more experienced, like Smith.

“With our local show we try to keep it competitive for seasoned athletes, but it’s a good show for beginners to come in and get a taste of it,” said Galliford. “It’s fair as possible for everybody, everyone has a chance.”

They had 26 total competitors this year — seven women, seven lightweight men, 12 open category men — and they had a full viewing area all morning and afternoon with a lively atmosphere. Local sponsors played a big role in the event, providing everything from competition shirts to the prize packages.

“It creates a better atmosphere when you have a lot of people around and music playing,” he said. “It’s great in different ways in how keeping it local benefits us as a group.”